Historical Facts

[justjohn]

There is an old Hotel/Pub in Marble Arch, London ... ....which used to have gallows adjacent.

Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial of course) to be hung.

The horse drawn dray, carting the prisoner, was accompanied by an armed guard who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ''ONE LAST DRINK''.

If he said YES it was referred to as ONE FOR THE ROAD.

If he declined, that prisoner was ON THE WAGON.

So there you go...!!!

More history...

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor".

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot.

They "Didn't have a pot to Piss in" & were the lowest of the low.

And that's the truth...

Now, whoever said History was boring? ? ?
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Bonobo]

It is a great thread, indeed.

The Polish language has the same term for ONE FOR THE ROAD - jeden na drogę.

ON THE WAGON - this one is more difficult. Seldom Poles refuse a drink, it is not our tradition. ;D ;D ;D ;D
.

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor".

Eskimo people used to use urine to wash their hair which was very greasy from rare washing and animal fat that they applied on their heads.



Check this thread with Polish versus English idioms
polandsite.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=polishliteratureinenglish&action=display&thread=37